3 Essential Steps for Chicken Breast That’s Actually Delicious

After countless meals of dry, bland chicken breast, you might think that’s just the sacrifice you have to make when you are trying to eat healthy. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Follow these simple tips for cooking chicken breast ---especially when you’re grilling it this summer---to ensure the lean protein is crave-ably flavorful, tender and juicy every time.

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A piece of skinless, boneless chicken breast is naturally tapered so it is considerably thicker on one end than the other. If you just toss it on the grill or in a pan like that, by the time the thicker end is cooked through, the rest will be overcooked.

To avoid this problem, take a moment to pound the chicken out to an even thickness before you cook it. Just put the boneless breasts on a cutting board between two pieces of plastic wrap, then use a mallet or rolling pin to pound out the thicker end so the whole piece is about the same thickness. If the piece is very thick, you can butterfly the piece first by slicing it horizontally almost all the way through and then opening it like a book, before pounding it to an even thickness. It takes just a couple of minutes, and you set yourself up for perfectly cooked chicken.